Undergraduate / DARTMOUTH supplement - introduce yourself mo'olelo [3]

Hey, this is my first post. I'd really appreciate your feedback. I'm and international applicant from Austria and I'm having a little trouble with some of the prompts. Please let me know what you think of my idea for this essay. It' s just a first draft. As I mentioned, English is not my first language so it would definitely help me out if you guys could also check on the spelling, grammar and wording a little.

Thank you for your help!

THE HAWAIIAN WORD MO'OLELO IS OFTEN TRANSLATED AS "STORY" BUT IT CAN ALSO REFER TO HISTORY, LEGEND, GENEALOGY, AND TRADITION. USE ONE OF THESE TRANSLATIONS TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF.

(250-300 words)

History, mysteries and gifts

There's an old saying that says, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present." History, mysteries and gifts are the defining elements of my story, of my mo'olelo.

The story of my life begins in suburban Austria. A region of the world with a genealogy of prominent former rulers, where traditions are highly valued and where it is your family's mission to bring these traditions closer to their children. While my parents fulfilled their cultural obligations, they always made sure to add a little twist. Local parish fairs were subordinate to surfing sessions and waltz dance courses were exchanged with judo competitions. Refusing to be normal is probably the best way of describing my mum and dad's parenting style. Working a regular nine-to-five job was never an option for my father and being a stay-at-home mum wasn't for my mother. Of course their entity has influenced me in a tremendous way and has also demanded a lot from me. I learned responsibility through taking care of my three younger siblings and dropping them of at school when my parents couldn't.

If my upbringing has taught me one thing it is to not shy away but rather embrace challenges and the unknown. By leaving my home environment a beautiful chapter of my life will become history and I'll start a new chapter. But for me the mystery of the next chapter of a good story always makes it the best one. I cannot change the history of my upbringing nor the mysteries that lie ahead of me, yet they define my story. I view it as a gift that my mo'olelo will potentially be continued at a place like Dartmouth where the exploration of mysteries is on the agenda.